Dawaa Reference

Clinical reference

Fainting (vasovagal syncope)

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AS07 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Vasovagal Episode - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470277/

Verified against2 documents
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
  • Fainting (vasovagal syncope) - disease-level clinical article (syncope-vasovagal-full.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Fainting while standing points toward a vasovagal cause, while fainting lying down or without any warning suggests a cardiac cause [syncope]
  • History should cover how long the episode lasted, what came before it, what triggered it, and what happened afterward

Signs — what you find (2)

  • Exam centers on vital sign abnormalities such as orthostatic hypotension or evidence of cardiovascular compromise [hypotension]
  • Cardiovascular and neurologic exams look for vascular disease, heart failure, or a stroke masquerading as a faint [syncope]

Tests (7)

  • History and exam alone reach a diagnosis in up to half of patients presenting with fainting
  • Testing rarely nails down a cause, since most fainting is vasovagal and benign
  • Older patients in the emergency department need routine blood work including hemoglobin and electrolytes, plus at minimum an ECG and blood glucose
  • If a cardiac cause is suspected, cardiac enzymes, continuous monitoring, and echocardiography are added, with an event monitor for outpatient follow-up of suspected conduction problems
  • Suspected stroke calls for head CT, carotid Doppler, or brain MRI with or without angiography, and EEG is added if seizures are suspected
  • A tilt table test is considered for recurrent fainting of unknown cause without heart disease, an uncertain vasovagal diagnosis needing life-threatening causes excluded, or to tell reflex syncope apart from orthostatic hypotension
  • ECG is the single most useful test yet only identifies a cause in about 5 percent of cases, and routine blood tests find one in only about 2 percent

If not this — what else fits (2)

  • Seizures are told apart by an aura, tonic-clonic movements, a longer period of unconsciousness, incontinence, tongue biting, and confusion afterward
  • Hypoglycemia can also cause loss of consciousness but usually comes with sweating, shakiness, and irritability

SourceStatPearls "Syncope" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Most fainting in primary care is benign vasovagal syncope managed with reassurance, hydration and trigger-avoidance advice; cardiac causes need referral and there is no first-line drug a Cairo GP would prescribe. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Most fainting in primary care is benign vasovagal syncope managed with reassurance, hydration and trigger-avoidance advice; cardiac causes need referral and there is no first-line drug a Cairo GP would prescribe.

Cautions
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Syncope accompanied by concomitant complaints of chest pain, dyspnea, or palpitations indicates high risk for cardiac disease.
  • RED FLAG - Patients should be instructed not to drive or operate heavy machinery following a syncopal episode until completion of workup.
  • RED FLAG - Syncope during exertion, a family history of sudden cardiac death, no warning symptoms before collapse, injury during the faint, or an abnormal ECG or heart murmur.

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